The Top 10 Cities for Car Theft in the USA!

Manufacturers continue to bring in vehicles with the best of technology, safety features and automatic locking systems, but car thieves continue to work on their “Gone in 60 seconds” skills and we have a list of the 10 worst cities for car theft.

Yes, these cities are swarming with car thieves but there is a silver line to this dark cloud. The number of auto thefts in the country is on a steady decline since the year 2004 as per a 2011 study released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. This organization is specialized in monitoring insurance related crime and from its Illinois headquarters it has compiled a list of the top 10 cities in the US with the maximum number of car thefts.

There have been some major changes from the past few years. The car theft capital title no longer belongs to Laredo, Texas (the city is at 53rd position). The top spot is taken by Fresno in California now. In fact California is the worst state in ensuring car safety because of the 10 top cities with maximum car thefts, seven are in California itself! Here is the list of cities where you need to keep an eye out for your car parked outside all the time:

1. Fresno, California (808.25 car thefts per 100,000 people)
2. Modesto, California
3. Bakersfield-Delano, California
4. Spokane, Washington
5. Yakima, Washington
6. San Francisco, California
7. Stockton, California
8. Anderson, South Carolina
9. Vallejo-Fairfield, California
10. Visalia-Porterville, California

Be careful in these cities and anywhere else as well. Spruce up your car with better locking devices and make it easier to keep a track of it in case of theft by using tracking devices for cars which can be bought online quite easily.

How to Secure Your Home against Burglars!

FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports paint a very grim picture of burglary. It says that across the US, burglary (officially known as crime against property) happens every 15 seconds. You read it right; a home is burgled every 15 seconds in the United States.

Who’s the target?
Burglary usually occurs during the day when people are out of the house for work or school. Also single family homes in quiet neighborhoods are more at risk of catching the burglar’s eye than apartments. July and August are the months with maximum break ins reported and February is the month with the least number of thefts.

Who are the burglars?
The resolving rate of burglary cases is dismally low- 13% are solved with stolen items recovered. Usually the thieves are men below the age of 25, looking for quick cash. That is why they break into homes and take away cash, jewelry, electronics like laptops, DVD players, speakers, cameras and other expensive and easy to sell stuff like furs, leather bags and guns and ammo.

How secure your home
The basic idea is to ensure that you don’t push your home under the burglars’ noses or leave your home poorly secured. Here are some tips:

• Do not have thick hedges around windows or doors to help the burglars conceal themselves.
• Do not advertise your wealth- keep your blinds closed so they cannot see the expensive furnishings/equipment.
• Get motion sensor flood lights
• Install wireless security camera system around your property
• Get a yappy dog- one who barks loudly is an effective deterrent
• Get thick wooden or steel forced doors; get dead bolt locks and key locks for windows.

These few simple tips will help you secure your home from burglars.

How GPS Works

We sell GPS technology on ElectroFlip and one of the most common questions we hear is not how to configure a particular device, but just the plain simple fact about GPS works. Most people have a pretty rudimentary idea that GPS has something to do with satellite technology, but beyond that, they’re not really sure. Here’s a quick GPS primer.

First, GPS stands for Global Positioning System. A GPS device is a receiver of data from a satellite signal, but cannot send information – much like a radio receives radio waves but cannot broadcast. In addition to radio or TV antennas, GPS systems need an unobstructed view of the sky, as trees or buildings can block a signal.

Generally, GPS receivers are getting much more sensitive, but the amount the signal can be accessed is an important consideration when buying a GPS tracker. The reason that GPS trackers are so useful for the car is because most of the time a car is on open road where there are no obstructions.

Space around the earth is filled with satellites. At any given time, there are 24 GPS satellites that will communicate with each other to pinpoint your location on the ground. The GPS will determine location by determining the distance between the receiver and the collection of satellites. Accuracy of positioning is determined by the quality of the receiver. Some GPS units are accurate within 15 feet (on ElectroFlip), while some are only accurate within 50 yards. Differential GPS (DGPS) is a more accurate form of GPS signature by combining two GPS receivers together, in addition to the cadre of orbiting satellites.

Inventive GPS Tracking Devices

Can you remember a time without cell phones? It was not too long ago that cell phones were a rarity – and car phones were only for the very rich. Now cellphones are as ubiquitous as landlines, if not coming to replace them entirely, as email is replacing snail mile. Another revolution is the GPS tracking device. Though not as used as mobile phones, GPS tracking is being incorporated into people’s lives more and more.

Many new cars are coming with GPS technology built in, but the majority of cars on the road do not have this technology, so GPS tracking is vital. Even if you have a GPS-compliant car, it’s good to have a tracker on hand in case you rent a car on a vacation or business trip, which very often do not have GPS tracking installed. As this is the time when you might need GPS most, it’s necessary to always have GPS functionality on hand.

One of the not oft-mentioned features of GPS tracking is the fact that GPS technology can lower the insurance premiums on your car. If you’re less apt to get lost, you’re less apt to get into a car accident. Additionally, if the car gets stolen, you’ll be able to retrieve it, as you can pinpoint the car’s location. So you can actually save money by making this extra purchase. ElectroFlip offers one of the most innovative GPS trackers on the market – a tracker that is no bigger than the standard cellphone with powerful coverage.

Aside from getting driving directions – which is only one of a tracker’s many uses – GPS tracking can be used for keeping track of your kids or pet, or even priceless possessions. Our tracker is accurate within 15 feet, with a built-in microphone. Keep in mind, though, with the latter feature a person should be aware that they’re being tracked – unless it’s a thief who has stolen your belongings.